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La Estancia

Ave. Francisco Villa # 316
Col. Obrera
Phone: (01152661) 613-0695

Reviewed By Gypsy Jan
Chowhound.com

Restarante La Estancia in Rosarito is located way off Benito Juarez, the main north/south boulevard for the city, north of the old Comercial Mexicana and Calimax markets.

Faded black writing on a white wall invites you to turn towards the beach for "Hotel El Dorado" and "La Estancia"

The restaurant is a free standing, two-story building on the left , with a rough wood exterior and several water treatments, large and small, made from what appears to be rescued materials; rough cut logs, old water pumps and well-weathered iron bouys. A hollowed out log has running water and two life-sized wooden ducks floating inside.

The menu covers all the bases - land and sea (beef, lamb, rabbit, fish, shrimp, lobster, squid, etc.). After only two visits, all I can report about is the seafood.

First, they bring complimentary chips and salsa and a bowl of escabeche - vinegar marinated nopales (cactus), onions and jalapenos.

On the first visit, for an appetizer, we had queso fundido (melted cheese). On our second visit, we tried the onion rings. The queso fundido was very good. The onion rings were fresh and sweet, but not spectacular.

We have had the seafood combo special with vegetables, the seafood combo in garlic sauce, (it comes with whole cloves of roasted garlic) the shrimp in garlic sauce (with the whole roasted cloves,a lso) and the mesquite broiled salmon, a filet that must have weighed tweve ounces.

All entrees come with soup and salad, tortillas and baked potato -- and -- an alcohol soaked, flaming sugar cube on the plates, a spectacular visual presentation.

Everything was prepared with care - I ask for my fish to be cooked rare and that is what I get. The potatoes are bakeded on the charcoal fire (no foil wrap!) and are served with real butter and sour cream.

I should also mention that the service is outstanding, and, on a midweek afternoon, the customers are mostly locals or vacationing Spanish speakers.

This is truly my favorite restaurant in Rosarito. Everything about it is A+. Food, service, surroundings, etc. If you like lamb this is the place to get it.

This is the first place we went for lunch on our 1st Baja trip and is still my favorite resturant. It's clean, good food, good service and reasonably priced.

Couldn't agree more! Our favorite also! Wish we were there RIGHT NOW!

Lamb and rabbit. Two items that have totally fallen off the appetite menu in the US. Yet, both are outstanding in their own right. Anyone who finds their way here, should really consider ordering either one.

I have tried the lamb at La Estancia and it was excellent. I had rabbit a few weeks ago prepared over a camp fire on a remote Baja cattle ranch and was totally surprised at how much I enjoyed the flavor...

I've been there many times and agree with all of your statements, They have the coldest beer on tap. I have often stopped on a hot summers day just for a cold brew. Talk about no worries.

Honestly, I haven't been there now in almost three years. Has much changed?

There has been some new construction over the last year. Looks like a whole new building has been added to the back side of the restaurant. You know back of the parking lot. I think they added a least room for another 75 customers. I know business must be good for them to take on new construction during these difficult economic times.

Have they done anything on the heating/cooling? The only complaint I had for the place was over the years it would tend to be chilly at times in winter and a bit too warm/stuffy in summer...

I'm sure you have seen the huge fireplace as you enter the resturant. I usually sit in the bar area with friends next to the lovely raging fire in the winter, and at the bar in the summer. I've never eaten upstairs so I don't know if they have heating up there. I've found the resturant cool early afternoon in the summer. I don't know anything about cooling the place down on a hot summers day. I hope this has been helpful.